"Wait, is that alright?"
I called out, and Samuel Xie and Zachary Zhao stopped, not opening the door.
"Alright, if you have something to say, make it quick."
"Why don't you let me go and come with me to the world of the living?"
I said, and Samuel Xie started laughing.
"Old Xie, don't be polite with this kid. He treats us like fools, keeps asking about Ghostgate and the environment around Scorching Inferno, really thinks we're idiots. Kid, I'm not as nice as Old Xie. Sure, we want a promotion, but you treating us as fools—what's that supposed to mean?"
I realized what was happening—they had outsmarted me.
As Samuel Xie spoke, I immediately started checking my own body. I could still sense a trace of ghost aura, but suddenly, my eyes widened—the sensation was gone. My Specter Webs, the seven strands in my Ghost Soul, had vanished like smoke. I raised my hand.
Samuel Xie spoke as I glared at him furiously, gritting my teeth at both of them.
"The world of the living is better than this place. Why don't you come with me?"
I asked again, but Samuel Xie just sneered and shook his head.
Zachary Zhao said, but Samuel Xie immediately argued back. I lay quietly on the ground, suffering. I could still sense ghost aura, but the Specter Webs in my Ghost Soul had vanished.
Samuel Xie's logic left me speechless. These two were strong, but only at the level of low-tier Blue Wraiths. If my Ghost Soul hadn't been so badly damaged, I could defeat both of them in a single strike.
I looked at them in terror, completely powerless. My Ghost Soul was still there and could produce ghost aura, but the Specter Webs—everything inside the soul—was gone. I couldn't sense my other six Ghost Souls at all.
We entered Needle Hell. I stared in shock as ghosts were hung by the wardens onto small, spike-covered hills, pressed directly onto the needles.
After a while, the needles would pierce through the ghosts' bodies again and again until they were riddled with holes and lost their form, dissolving into wisps of white mist. After some time, they'd reappear near the hills.
"Wait, I can't walk anymore."
I said, plopping down on the ground.
"Don't play dumb with us, kid. Get up."
I glared at Zachary Zhao, furious. I really had no reason to lie to them—at this point, I truly couldn't move. The Soul Shackle had drained all my ghost aura, and I was barely able to stay upright.
"Wait, let me check."
Samuel Xie squatted down. My body was fluctuating between cold and hot, feeling weak and miserable. Ever since I put on the Soul Shackle, Samuel Xie pressed his hand to my chest, closed his eyes, and started probing me.
Suddenly, Samuel Xie opened his eyes, staring at me in shock.
"There's no saving you. Your Ghost Soul has already started dying."
I stared at him in astonishment. With a click, Samuel Xie unlocked my ankle and wrist shackles. Zachary Zhao came over, checked me, and also stared at me in shock.
I was confused—even now, freed from my restraints, I still felt powerless. What was happening? I had thought my Ghost Soul was already starting to repair itself.
"It's just a last flare. If a ghost's soul is badly damaged and can't repair itself, it heads for death. Right before death, it produces a faint ghost aura, but that's a sign of dying. Many ghosts think they're recovering, but they're actually dying."
As Samuel Xie spoke, I immediately started checking my own body. I could still sense a trace of ghost aura, but suddenly, my eyes widened—the sensation was gone. My Specter Webs, the seven strands in my Ghost Soul, had vanished like smoke. I raised my hand.
One by one, black Specter Webs emerged, but with a snap, the newly released webs broke and turned into drifting ashes.
"What do we do? We're stuck. Hurry and get this kid to the Fourth Tribunal before he dies."
"There's definitely not enough time."
Zachary Zhao said, but Samuel Xie immediately argued back. I lay quietly on the ground, suffering. I could still sense ghost aura, but the Specter Webs in my Ghost Soul had vanished.
"Kid, turns out you were dead all along."
I looked at them in terror, completely powerless. My Ghost Soul was still there and could produce ghost aura, but the Specter Webs—everything inside the soul—were gone. I couldn't sense my other six Ghost Souls at all.
"What now? Old Xie, we're doomed. Carry this guy out."
"Let's go. If we head back now, it's still not too late. Even if he finds out we're gone, he'll just think we're slacking off. Let's move."
With that, Samuel Xie and Zachary Zhao left in the opposite direction. I raised my hand, my consciousness blurring, feeling awful.
"Don't blame us. We've seen this happen plenty of times. I suspected you were dead before, but now it's confirmed. The Soul Shackle doesn't drain Yin energy—it just restricts all ghost abilities and locks the Ghost Soul. Your ghost aura leaks out on its own after being produced."
[Irrelevant system message about reading the next page—skip translation.]
As Samuel Xie and the others left, I whimpered in pain. The hand I raised slowly turned to ashes, dissolving into the air.
Nothing. My body was empty, barely able to sense any ghost aura, and I was turning transparent. Terror gripped me—I was powerless. I'd felt this before, tried to call on my instincts, but it was useless.
Suddenly, something plummeted towards me from afar. With a clang, I stared in shock—it was my Hell's Sentinel.
"Zhang Qingyuan, what the hell are you doing? You make such a fuss and don't even tell me. Grab me, quick!"
My Hell's Sentinel spoke, glowing with a green light. With my remaining hand, I grabbed it, and whoosh—it shot up, carrying me through the spike-covered mountains.
Suddenly, I crashed to the ground, surrounded by wailing ghosts and icy snow everywhere, though I felt no cold.
I stopped moving, feeling my body come to a halt and disappear.
"Luckily, the cold in Frostbite Hell slows ghost dissolution. To keep them suffering, listen to me, Zhang Qingyuan—if you want to survive."
I nodded, clutching the Hell's Sentinel tightly.
"Do you know why I'm called the Soulreaper Blade?"
I shook my head.
"Because, long ago, everyone I killed—ghost or human—their Ghost Soul or spirit was absorbed into me. That's how I was born."
The Soulreaper Blade spoke in a chilling voice. I stared at it in surprise, feeling ghost aura flowing into my body again—but it wasn't mine.
"If you want to be saved, tame me. In my world, let our worlds connect, and I can rightfully become your Hell's Sentinel. Maybe no one else can save you, but I can, Zhang Qingyuan. Don't die—after all we've fought through, isn't it time you counted me as your friend?"
I smiled and nodded gratefully.
"Your instincts are still there, but your ghost soul was hit so hard it's basically dead. That's why you can't feel anything. I'll keep pushing you into the instinct space. It's all up to you now."
I closed my eyes, feeling a constant stream of ghost aura entering my body from the Soulreaper Blade, but my body still didn't react. Things were bad.
Gasping for breath, I lay quietly in the freezing Frostbite Hell, unable to feel anything except the ghost aura. It was mostly useless—my ghost soul was dying, though slowly.
"Focus, Zhang Qingyuan. Use your willpower. Don't give up, or you'll really die."
I nodded, eyes wide, trying to get up. With a snap, my right leg broke and turned to ash. I could barely breathe.
"Don't give up, Zhang Qingyuan. Remember what that girl told you before she died—she wanted you to survive, so you have to live for me too."
The Soulreaper Blade grew anxious, shouting at me. My consciousness blurred—I was barely holding on.
Suddenly, the Soulreaper Blade radiated eerie green light. Strands of green shot out, attaching to the tormented ghosts. I snapped awake as powerful ghost aura surged into my body.
The Soulreaper Blade was absorbing those ghosts.